Yes, you all will make more than a hundred grand a year when you first get out of law school. Please come and see me when you do because you'll probably want to purchase a beachhouse, and as it happens I have some nice oceanfront property in Arizona that I'd like to sell to you......

I would be very surprised if anyone on this board thought that every law grad is likely to make 100k off the bat. You are arguing against a straw man. Your claim that most regional LS grads will not earn anywhere near this is true. But it is also true that many Tier 1 grads will probably earn salaries near this figure. I would like to know what evidence you have to the contrary.

If you look at the *accurate* self-reported salary stats for schools in the lower half of T1, you will find that 100k is somewhere near the 75th percentile and above. For example, the median salary at UF, Alabama and UGA is nowhere near 100k.

Sorry to bust your bubble, but it's a lot more difficult to get a 100k/year job than you think. Going to a T1 certainly doesn't guarantee that result.

My bubble is not burst. I never thought that going to a T1 would guarantee anyone a 100k starting salary. But then again, I don't think anyone on this board thinks THAT, which is why I said the earlier post was a straw man. My claim is merely that moderate success at a highly ranked school would make it reasonable for one to expect a good shot at such jobs. I think it is probably more accurate to say "higher T1" and/or highly ranked regional school in major markets like NYC, DC, LA, and Boston will do this. Notre Dame is in Indiana. So despite its T1 status, it is not located in a major legal market. By contrast, a NYC school like Cardozo, which is T2 claims to have a median starting salary of 95k -- 101k. Given the advertised starting salaries of mid-large firms in NYC this is not very doubtful. Of course, not everyone at Cardozo will get these jobs -- but who thought you could get crappy grades in LS and still land a plum job? I doubt anyone on this board.

I still think if you go to one of the top 20, you have a decent shot at a good job even if you're close to the bottom of the class.

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wrmusgro

Yes, you all will make more than a hundred grand a year when you first get out of law school. Please come and see me when you do because you'll probably want to purchase a beachhouse, and as it happens I have some nice oceanfront property in Arizona that I'd like to sell to you......

I would be very surprised if anyone on this board thought that every law grad is likely to make 100k off the bat. You are arguing against a straw man. Your claim that most regional LS grads will not earn anywhere near this is true. But it is also true that many Tier 1 grads will probably earn salaries near this figure. I would like to know what evidence you have to the contrary.

"Like I said before 100k doesn't go far in the cities that have 125k starting salary averages at BigLaw. I can live much better here on 75k than I could in SF on 125k."

--Ruskie

-Ruskie: this is a good point, and one often overlooked. The major markets pay more, but are also way more expensive to live in. Given that they also usually expect 2000+ billable hours from associates, a move to a less expensive, lower paying market makes sense. In fact, I am strongly considering moving to Florida after I finish at Fordham for just these reasons.

How ling did you live in Florida before moving to CA?

I grew up in FL orlando area, and when I checked the salaries and step scales of biglaw in Orlando I was a bit dissapointed. I encourage you to check it out for youself. If you plan on going to an NY school and load up on debt, it may be a much bigger deal there

The top Florida firms start around 100k. I am talking about GT, HK, and CF.

In FL, this is a lot of money.

What you also have to consider, is not the much lower cost of living than in the major markets, but the smaller number of hours you have to bill.

2400hrs (standard NYC big law) for 125k = $52/billable hour

1900 (typical florida billables) for 100k = $52/billable hour as well as 4,000 sq foot house for $300k

2400 billable hours in NYC? Everywhere I have checked says 2000. Where did you get that figure? Check www.infirmation.com. It will give you comparisons of billable hrs. req's/salary info, and much more. You can look at various states and compare cities within states. Of course most of this info is submitted by the firms themselves. But 2400 as standard?!?! That sounds much higher than anything I have heard so far. I hope it is wrong!

Yes, you all will make more than a hundred grand a year when you first get out of law school. Please come and see me when you do because you'll probably want to purchase a beachhouse, and as it happens I have some nice oceanfront property in Arizona that I'd like to sell to you......

I would be very surprised if anyone on this board thought that every law grad is likely to make 100k off the bat. You are arguing against a straw man. Your claim that most regional LS grads will not earn anywhere near this is true. But it is also true that many Tier 1 grads will probably earn salaries near this figure. I would like to know what evidence you have to the contrary.

Ahh the straw man.....I took Powerscore too.

I didn't take powerscore, but I am glad you got something out of it. I am guessing it is some kind of LSAT prep course, is that right?The Fallacy of the Straw Man has been a staple of informal logic and studies in rhetoric for much longer than the LSAT has been around. But I am sure you knew that.

I don't know why people are still arguing with hylas at this point. It seems to me that he is making perfect sense. He isn't saying every law grad, or even every top tier grad, but rather that attending LS in the upper part of the top tier should reasonably give one a shot at a 6 figure job. I guess I am missing what is so far fetched about this statement.

Excluding HYS, I would say top 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on the school) would place a law grad in a very competitive position for a variety of positions they might like...BIGLAW included. I think it is very reasonable for someone attending Fordham to believe they have a good shot at a 6 figure BIGLAW job. Not for certain, but with much greater confidence than perhaps at other schools.

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dunson

2400 billable hours in NYC? Everywhere I have checked says 2000. Where did you get that figure? Check www.infirmation.com. It will give you comparisons of billable hrs. req's/salary info, and much more. You can look at various states and compare cities within states. Of course most of this info is submitted by the firms themselves. But 2400 as standard?!?! That sounds much higher than anything I have heard so far. I hope it is wrong!

2400 billable hours in NYC? Everywhere I have checked says 2000. Where did you get that figure? Check www.infirmation.com. It will give you comparisons of billable hrs. req's/salary info, and much more. You can look at various states and compare cities within states. Of course most of this info is submitted by the firms themselves. But 2400 as standard?!?! That sounds much higher than anything I have heard so far. I hope it is wrong!

2000 is the stated minimum, but the associates usually know better.

exactly. at nyc biglaw, you have no shot at making partner unless you are billing 2400+.

an attorney friend of mine told me about a paralegal that they recently hired. apparently, this woman was making something like 100k at nyc biglaw, but was billing 2400+ hours. you know it's bad when paralegals work that much!

Yes, you all will make more than a hundred grand a year when you first get out of law school. Please come and see me when you do because you'll probably want to purchase a beachhouse, and as it happens I have some nice oceanfront property in Arizona that I'd like to sell to you......

I would be very surprised if anyone on this board thought that every law grad is likely to make 100k off the bat. You are arguing against a straw man. Your claim that most regional LS grads will not earn anywhere near this is true. But it is also true that many Tier 1 grads will probably earn salaries near this figure. I would like to know what evidence you have to the contrary.

Ahh the straw man.....I took Powerscore too.

I didn't take powerscore, but I am glad you got something out of it. I am guessing it is some kind of LSAT prep course, is that right?The Fallacy of the Straw Man has been a staple of informal logic and studies in rhetoric for much longer than the LSAT has been around. But I am sure you knew that.

Dude....don't try to make yourself sound soooo smart. You just come off looking like a jerk. I mean come on. You don't know what Powerscore is? There's a big banner for it at the top of the screen on this website half of the time. I'm sorry if you take offense to what I say about the chances one will make 100k out of school are low. I mean you should have a 1 out of 4 chance at the very worst of making 100k since you're attending Fordham. A twenty five percent chance by definition is still LOW. I bet you're the type of guy that just has to be right about everything. Stop being so full of yourself. You don't know what Powerscore is...ha.. Give me a break.

Yes, you all will make more than a hundred grand a year when you first get out of law school. Please come and see me when you do because you'll probably want to purchase a beachhouse, and as it happens I have some nice oceanfront property in Arizona that I'd like to sell to you......

I would be very surprised if anyone on this board thought that every law grad is likely to make 100k off the bat. You are arguing against a straw man. Your claim that most regional LS grads will not earn anywhere near this is true. But it is also true that many Tier 1 grads will probably earn salaries near this figure. I would like to know what evidence you have to the contrary.

Ahh the straw man.....I took Powerscore too.

I didn't take powerscore, but I am glad you got something out of it. I am guessing it is some kind of LSAT prep course, is that right?The Fallacy of the Straw Man has been a staple of informal logic and studies in rhetoric for much longer than the LSAT has been around. But I am sure you knew that.

Dude....don't try to make yourself sound soooo smart. You just come off looking like a jerk. I mean come on. You don't know what Powerscore is? There's a big banner for it at the top of the screen on this website half of the time. I'm sorry if you take offense to what I say about the chances one will make 100k out of school are low. I mean you should have a 1 out of 4 chance at the very worst of making 100k since you're attending Fordham. A twenty five percent chance by definition is still LOW. I bet you're the type of guy that just has to be right about everything. Stop being so full of yourself. You don't know what Powerscore is...ha.. Give me a break.